Addressing rising sea levels and how they effect coastal communities is a current concern in the field of architecture. As the environment changes, engineers and architects must also facilitate inventive ways to respond to structural needs. There is an increased interest in specific construction strategies, such as responsive designs. Some innovative building ideas come from a student project from Harvard University Graduate School of Design students in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The goal was to design a concept for a city that may exist in the future that would respond to increasing threats to coastal communities at risk of rising sea levels. The… read more

Children love to learn more about the world around them. Feed their curious minds with age appropriate, free activities and lesson plans that revolve around biomimicry so they can further relate their outer surroundings to areas in their own lives. Teach Engineering has a hands-on activity for kids with a suggested age of around 3 through 5, though it can be altered to suit other ages. Provided from the College of Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the focus is on natural design and how engineers apply it to making products. Learners are asked to think about solutions… read more

University of California, San Diego researchers have noted some interesting behaviors regarding seahorses. Since they are composed of bony sliding plates, their tails are extremely flexible. So malleable, in fact, that they can be flattened to half their normal size before causing irreversible injuries. This natural design has led to inspiration for medical use and other field applications. The team of scientists and engineers involved in the project are looking at the way seahorses move in order to replicate the motion in a robotic arm. Other animals were looked at for potentially copying their armored exteriors, but the seahorse was… read more

The world’s most famous tech company isn’t just appreciative of human engineers, and in honor of Earth Day, Google has a new feature that focuses on the engineers found in nature. Google Green already has a number of ways to use their products and technology to go green, but their focus on Nature’s Engineers acknowledges that we can learn a lot from nature: “This Earth Day, we’re celebrating something close to our hearts, engineers. Whether it’s a towering aspen or a tiny mushroom, nature has plenty to teach us. We’re taking a look at six of our favorite outdoor innovators… read more

Integrative design processes are the most important aspect of successful green building, whether they are guided by the LEED rating system or another system, codes, incentives or a visionary owner. In any case, the “integrative” part is pivotal. The systems need to be optimized in tandem, not in their separate silos of control and importance. When the glazing and window locations are being planned, the heating and cooling systems should be discussed. When the ceiling heights move up or down, this may affect the furniture planning (bunk beds or not?) and the use of ceiling mounted radiant panels. All of… read more